Page 13 - Wildlife News August 2017

Saved! ViafsrEniotndmbjocbahySoruomowmouotsmn.erodeetrhgrtnhe2.eue0wNk1Was/7tpiaulfudnirlabldeifllefiWceTaaorttruuilodsrtnesss. wneLoilawrdtgesli/safnteneUtdrwKui-sswssutisde.es:

dorset WT Plan positively for wildlife

Rampisham is safe – but We are enjoying another beautiful English
it took a two-year fight. summer. And those of us who took part in
30 Days Wild noticed wildlife every day in
Rampisham Down, Dorset June, an experience I recommend to
everyone. I realised how beautiful
After two years of campaigning by Dorset Wildlife Trust and the stalk of a bramble can be, and stopped
others, Rampisham Down SSSI in West Dorset will not be long enough to listen to a chattering in a nearby tree that
developed into a solar power station. turned out to be kingfishers.
But loving the natural world makes you vulnerable too. I
The site is a legally protected, nationally important area am sure many of you know only too well the sickening
of rare acid grassland with skylarks, adders and many feeling of hearing about an imminent new development, or
species of butterfly. The solar panels will now be sited on a seeing the bulldozers move in. This is all the more poignant
less sensitive area nearby. the closer to home it is, the more we love the place and the
more memories it holds.
More at dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk The Wildlife Trusts oppose development where it is
simply in the wrong place and too damaging to wildlife.
Threatened Many fantastic sites have been saved by Trusts. Most of us
Smithy Wood, Sheffield don’t even know about the threats these places once faced.
For example, my favourite reserve in Nottinghamshire was
sheffield & rotherham WT destined for landfill in the 1970s. More recently Rampisham
Down has been saved by Dorset Wildlife Trust.
More than 1,000 people objected to swapping a bluebell wood for a Our vision for new housing is for development that
motorway service station. avoids harm to important wildlife sites and creates new
wildlife habitats. The best housing developments start with
When a proposed motorway service station threatened one the landscape, building around existing old trees and
of Sheffield’s ancient woodlands, the local Wildlife Trust hedges, and working in sympathy with the nature of the
organised a protest in March outside the city hall. area. In many cases local authorities and developers have
worked closely with their local Wildlife Trust to bring
More than 300 people showed their objection to genuine gains for wildlife, with new spaces for nature
building on the bluebell wood, which is a Local Wildlife Site created within the development itself.
and part of Sheffield’s green belt. The City Council also To get on the front foot we need local authorities to
received more than 1,000 online objections, almost all plan positivly for nature’s recovery. This would mean new
citing the loss of local wildlife as the key concern. developments of any kind minimise damage to wildlife and
maximise benefits.
The Council was due to make a decision on March 28th We all want to feel safe in our love of wildlife and the
but instead delayed it. Keep up with developments at natural world. One way to do this is by building wildlife into
wildsheffield.com every new development.

Stephanie Hilborne OBE
Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts
@stephhilborne

If your family or friends share your interest in wildlife please
encourage them to join their nearest Wildlife Trust. There are 47
Wildlife Trusts across the UK with more than 800,000 members.
We are the largest UK voluntary organisation dedicated to
conserving all the UK’s habitats and species.
For links to all Wildlife Trusts go to wildlifetrusts.org

twitter @wildlifetrusts
facebook.com/wildlifetrusts

Wildlife news / August 2017 13